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GOVERNANCE
*****************
ICANN to Cut U.S. Apron Strings?
An agreement that gives the U.S. sway over Web
addresses and domain names will soon expire, but Uncle
Sam seems reluctant to cede control: The era of U.S.
government oversight of the infrastructure that makes
the Internet run is destined to end. Eventually. At
stake is the oversight of the infrastructure and
processes by which Internet protocol address and the
Web site domain names that correspond to them are
assigned. Currently that's the job of a nonprofit
private entity called ICANN, created in 1998 and
overseen by the U.S. Commerce Department. The plan
back then was to privatize Internet oversight by 2000.
That date has moved several times.
http://businessweek.com/technology/content/jul2006/tc20060728_701788.htm

United States cedes control of the internet - but what
now?
In a meeting that will go down in internet history,
the United States government last night conceded that
it can no longer expect to maintain its position as
the ultimate authority over the internet.
http://www.theregister.com/2006/07/27/ntia_icann_meeting/

US Government On Internet Control: ICANN Can Go, IANA
Is Ours
The United States government does not want to retain
?all [its] historic roles? in the technical oversight
of the Internet domain name system (DNS), a senior
Bush administration official said this week. But while
it might let go of the coordination role for names
such as those ending in .com and .net, it still has no
plans to give up control over changes to the
underlying structure of the Internet, he said.
http://www.ip-watch.org/weblog/index.php?p=375&res=1280&print=0

U.S. Still Has Keys to ICANN
The United States will eventually transfer oversight
of the Internet DNS to the ICANN. Just exactly when,
however, is still at issue. At a Department of
Commerce hearing Wednesday, John Kneuer, the acting
assistant secretary for communications and
information, said the U.S. government remains
committed to transferring control of the DNS. Should
ICANN control DNS? Internet governance experts have
argued for and against the US government handing over
the technical co-ordination and management of the
internet's DNS to ICANN this year. Those in favour of
completing this transition, which began in 1998, said
the political price of having the US involved in DNS
management has become too high and holds back the
international development of the internet.
http://www.internetnews.com/bus-news/article.php/3623066
http://australianit.news.com.au/articles/0,7204,19904278%5e15306%5e%5enbv%5e,00.html
http://computerworld.co.nz/news.nsf/UNID/BF2189B3D34E4B89CC2571B800199ECC
http://news.zdnet.com/2100-9588_22-6098893.html
http://infoworld.com/article/06/07/27/HNicannfullcontrol_1.html

Bret Fausett's Podcast of NTIA Hearing
Below are links to the audio, in MP3 format, from
yesterday's NTIA hearing. I've broken the audio
roughly by the same segments set forth in the NTIA's
agenda.
http://blog.lextext.com/blog/_archives/2006/7/27/2169437.html

**********************
DOMAIN NAMES
**********************
Divided by a common language
The internet is a global revolution in communication -
as long as you use letters from the western alphabet.
Kieren McCarthy on the growing pressure for a net that
recognises Asian, Arabic and Hindi characters, too
http://technology.guardian.co.uk/weekly/story/0,,1830481,00.html

ITU-T unveils Internationalized Domain Names Resource
Site
Study Group 17 (Security, languages and
telecommunication software) has been instructed by
Resolution 48 of the World Telecommunication
Standardization Assembly (Florian?polis, 2004) to
study Internationalized Domain Names (IDN). It is
considered that implementation of IDN will contribute
to easier and greater use of the Internet in those
countries where the native or official languages are
not represented in IRA (International Reference
Alphabet) characters.
http://www.itu.int/osg/spu/newslog/ITUT+Unveils+Internationalized+Domain+Names+IDN+Resource+Site.aspx

au: auDA reviews domain expiry, renewal and deletion
policy (news release)
auDA invites comment and feedback on the policy and
process for handling domain name renewals and
deletions.
http://auda.org.au/news-archive/auda-24072006/

Swede can't swallow McDonald's pizza
McDonald's will keep the domain name Pizza.eu after a
legal challenge to the burger giant's right was
rejected this week. Torbj?rn Ahlberg of Swedish domain
name sellers TBA Media had challenged McDonald's
registration which was sought during an initial period
when the .eu space was open only to trademark owners.
http://www.out-law.com/page-7144
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/07/28/mcdonalds_retains_pizza_domain/

ca: CIRA works on new privacy policy
The Ottawa-based Canadian Internet Registration
Authority approved a new Privacy Policy for the dot-ca
domain name WHOIS registry. CIRA is currently
preparing to implement this new policy and seeks final
input on its proposed implementation procedures.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20060728.gtcira0728/BNStory/Technology/home

ca: CIRA announces the results of its online
consultation (news release)
During the months of May and June 2006, CIRA consulted
with its members to gauge agreement with CIRA Board
Committee suggested recommendations regarding the
administration of potential additional revenues. The
online consultation was held following CIRA?s Special
Members? Meeting in February 2006 and the work of
CIRA?s Board of Directors, which has long considered
how it might deal with the issue of potential excess
revenues.
http://cira.ca/news-releases/180.html

Ronaldinho free to hit the net
Brazilian soccer star Ronaldinho can hit the "net"
again after winning exclusive rights to the domain
name ronaldinho.com on the worldwide Web.
http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/europe/07/27/ronaldinho.web.reut/index.html
http://www.signonsandiego.com/sports/20060729-9999-lz1s29galry.html
http://www.rediff.com/sports/2006/jul/27ron.htm
http://www.tsn.ca/soccer/news_story/?ID=172495&hubname=

Icann turns sights on Africa
Officials at Icann acknowledge that they have failed
to help Africa develop its ICT (information and
communication technology) infrastructure, and are
looking to set up outreach efforts on the continent.
http://www.pcadvisor.co.uk/news/index.cfm?newsid=6657

us: Lawsuit Naming High-Volume, Domain "Tasting"
Registrar Blazes New Trail in Combating Online
Trademark Infringement
A recent federal lawsuit, filed by Neiman Marcus and
Bergdorf Goodman against domain name registrar
Dotster, may anticipate a new technique for trademark
owners to police their intellectual property rights
online. The complaint, filed May 30, 2006 in U.S.
District Court in the Western District of Washington,
alleges that Dotster registered domain names that
infringe the trademarks of the plaintiffs. The unique
aspect of the complaint alleges that Dotster took
advantage of its position as a registrar to register
high-traffic, infringing domain names using an
increasingly common practice known as "domain
tasting," also referred to as "domain kiting" by
GoDaddy?s Bob Parsons. The most recent publicly
available data from VeriSign, the .com registry,
indicate that Dotster may be only one of at least
seven registrars "tasting" domain names.
http://www.mondaq.com/article.asp?articleid=41528&searchresults=1

Domain Name Kiting website launched: A growing problem
for the internet
"Domain Kiting", a fairly new term coined by
GoDaddy.com CEO, Bob Parsons, refers to an outrageous
practice, whereby few Registrars take advantage of AGP
(Add Grace Period) provision in ICANN (Internet
Corporation For Assigned Names and Numbers) rules, to
monetize from and block thousands of domain names,
without actually paying for them in long run.
http://domainnamekiting.com/

cn: Companies rush for Chinese domain names
More than 100 Shenzhen companies registered Internet
domain names in Chinese characters with the
government-run China Internet Information Center
(CNNIC) yesterday after a forum on the protection of
Chinese domain names.
http://newsgd.com/citiesandtowns/shenzhen/news/200607260042.htm

ICANN to Review Process of New gTLD Registry Services
ICANN, yesterday announced the implementation of the
process for review of new gTLD Registry Services and
adoption of the Registry Services Evaluation Process.
http://webhosting.info/news/1/icann-to-review-process-of-new-gtld-registry-services_0726063513.htm

ICANN Posts Proposed Registry Agreement for
Designation of the .ASIA Registry (announcement)
On 18 July 2006, ICANN's Board of Directors approved
the posting for public comment of the proposed
registry agreement between ICANN and DotAsia
Organisation Limited. If approved by the ICANN Board,
the agreement would designate DotAsia as the registry
operator for the newly designated .ASIA registry.
http://icann.org/announcements/announcement-28jul06.htm

ICANN: Proposed .BIZ, .INFO AND .ORG gTLD Registry
Agreements (announcement)
On 27 June 2006, ICANN posted for public information
proposed new registry agreements for the operation of
each of the .BIZ, .INFO and .ORG registries. ICANN
staff continued to work with each of the current
operators of these registries to finalize these
proposed agreements and appendices. On 18 July 2006,
the ICANN Board of Directors approved the posting of
each of these proposed agreements for public comment.
A public comment period will remain open until 5:00 PM
PDT/California, 28 August 2006. At that time the
comments will be submitted to the Board of Directors
for the Board to consider at its meeting on 13
September 2006.
http://icann.org/announcements/announcement-2-28jul06.htm

ICANN: Comments Sought on New TLD Issues Report
The GNSO Council's Committee on the introduction of
new top level domains has released its Initial Report
as part of ICANN's policy development process. This
Report is the product of a long series of
consultations and meetings about the Terms of
Reference.
http://icann.org/announcements/announcement1-28jul06.htm

ICANN Advisory: Registry Services Evaluation Process
Today ICANN announces the implementation of the
process for review of new gTLD Registry Services and
adoption of the Registry Services Evaluation Process.
The effective date of the Policy is 15 August 2006.
The implementation of this process includes an online
tool through which gTLD registry operators and
registry sponsoring organizations will be able to
submit their requests for new registry services to
ICANN.
http://icann.org/announcements/rsep-advisory-25jul06.htm

uk: IT journalists to stand for ICANN board
Two UK technology writers are attempting to wrestle
their way onto the body that runs the Internet, on a
ticket of openness and accountability
http://news.zdnet.co.uk/0,39020330,39280092,00.htm

cn: New Domain Name Dispute Resolution Measures
In line with China?s declared intention to improve its
laws and procedures for the protection of intellectual
property rights, China Internet Network Information
Center ("CINIC") published the Measures for Resolving
Domain Name Disputes ("Measures") on 14 February 2006,
which came into effect on 17 March 2006. These
Measures regulate disputes arising from CN domain
names and Chinese domain names administered by the
CINIC. The Measures will supersede the Measures for
Domain Name Dispute Resolution published on 20
September 2002.
http://www.mondaq.com/article.asp?articleid=41442&email_access=on

In Rem Domain Name Proceeding: Sometimes "may" Means
"must" by Evan D. Brown
Investools, Inc. recently filed an in rem domain name
proceeding against a Canadian entity that registered
the domain names investtools.com and investtool.com.
In rem domain name proceedings are provided for under
the Anticybersquatting Consumer Protection Act
("ACPA"), 15 U.S.C. 1125(d), and are a handy way for a
trademark owner to acquire a domain name from a
cybersquatter when the cybersquatter can?t be found
e.g., is located outside the U.S.
http://www.circleid.com/posts/in_rem_domain_name_proceeding/

Pair of $200,000 Domains Lead the Charge in Another
Strong Sales Week
SatellitePhone.com sold for $201,600 at Afternic.com
this week and Nasty.com commanded $200,000 at Sedo.com
to land another solid 1-2 punch for the bull market in
domains. With those two sales, 20 deals of at least
200K have now been reported in 2006 (with some others
at that level off the radar due to non disclosure
agreements).
http://dnjournal.com/archive/domainsales/2006/domainsales08_01_06.htm

Rwanda internet domain ranked 28,827 worldwide
A universal website; Ranking.com, has ranked the
Rwandan domain ?co.rw? 28,827th worldwide, receiving
an estimated 301,974 viewers per day. MSN.COM and
yahoo.com scooped the number one and two positions
respectively.
http://www.newtimes.co.rw/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=6419&Itemid=63

Broker Cashes in on Domain Name Registrations
Wilson Alvarez, a computer consultant who lives in
West Kendall, thought it would be cool to design a
website for his wife's 30th birthday. But since it was
the mid-'90s and the Internet wasn't yet cool, when he
told his wife, Barbie, that he was thinking of buying
the "barbie.com" for her, she gave him an odd look. He
bought her a purse, instead. "The following year, the
name sold for $500,000," said Alvarez, 40. 'That's
when I said ' My goodness, I can make so much money
off this.'"
http://redorbit.com/news/technology/590220/broker_cashes_in_on_domain_name_registrations/

Cruise closes net on cyber-squatter
Tom Cruise has won the rights to his domain name -
tomcruise.com - from Network Operations Center/Alberta
Hot Rods.
http://film.guardian.co.uk/news/story/0,,1830530,00.html
http://www.metro.co.uk/fame/article.html?in_article_id=17837&in_page_id=7

EU registry freezes 74,000 ".eu" addresses, sues
suspected cyber-squatters
About 74,000 ".eu" domain names were frozen this week
because of suspicions that a syndicate had illegally
stockpiled them in order to sell them at a profit, a
spokesman for the European Registry of Internet Domain
Names said on Wednesday.
http://www.asiamedia.ucla.edu/article-world.asp?parentid=49935
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/07/26/tech/main1839011.shtml
http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/TechNews/Internet/2006/07/27/1705083-ap.html

*******************
OTHER INTERNET NEWS
*******************
au: Guards for the cyber playground
Protecting children online is now big business with
the Federal Government spending more than $100 million
to help families.
http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2006/07/26/1153816248593.html
http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2006/07/26/1153816248593.html

us: Chat rooms could face expulsion
Web sites like Amazon.com and MySpace.com may soon be
inaccessible for many people using public terminals at
American schools and libraries, thanks to the U.S.
House of Representatives.
http://news.com.com/2100-1028_3-6099414.html

nz: Police warn of email job-offer scam
Police are warning internet users of a new hoax email
variant involving false or misleading overseas job
offers. Constable David Burmeister, of Palmerston
North CIB, said the apparently genuine emails could be
in the form of doing charity work by disseminating
funds, or just a straight offer of "easy money".
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=5&objectid=10393304

uk: Lords explore internet security
The first Parliamentary inquiry into personal internet
security is being launched this week on what the House
of Lords describes as an issue of "ever increasing
importance to the public, businesses and Government".
http://www.out-law.com/page-7149

U.S. senator open to TV chat about Internet "tubes"
Mocked by comedian and host of "The Daily Show" Jon
Stewart for calling the Internet a bunch of tubes,
U.S. Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Ted Stevens
said on Thursday he is open to appearing on the
popular cable television program for a rebuttal.
http://go.reuters.co.uk/newsArticle.jhtml?type=internetNews&storyID=12995148

uk: The rise of the cyber-children
BBC programme Click looks when children should start
using computers for the first time.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/click_online/5223192.stm

au: Net piracy lawsuit settled
THE company behind Kazaa - the software that made it
simple for millions of computer users to download
music and movies over the internet - will pay $US115
million ($151 million) to settle its epic court battle
with the global music industry.
http://australianit.news.com.au/articles/0,7204,19938121%5e16123%5e%5enbv%5e,00.html
http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2006/07/27/1153816326515.html

au: Kazaa site becomes legal service
File-sharing site Kazaa will become a legal music
download service following a series of high profile
legal battles.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/5220406.stm
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/07/27/kazaa_legit/

Kazaa pays ?61m pirates' penance
Online music sharing service Kazaa is to go legitimate
by paying $115m compensation to the entertainment
industry for aiding millions of illegal downloads over
the past five years.
http://technology.guardian.co.uk/news/story/0,,1832180,00.html

nz: History of the Internet in New Zealand (news
release)
The Internet Society of New Zealand, InternetNZ,
wishes to commission a history of the Internet in New
Zealand and is inviting applications from suitable
professionals interested in undertaking this project.
http://www.internetnz.net.nz/media/2006-07-26-history-project-release

au: Rivals concerned over Telstra broadband plan
Any hope Telstra had that the future might mean less
regulation seemed to evaporate late this week with the
announcement from the ACCC that it will extend its
policing and price fixing role in telecommunications
for another three years.
http://www.abc.net.au/insidebusiness/content/2006/s1700751.htm


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Sources include Quicklinks <http://qlinks.net/> and
BNA Internet Law News <http://www.bna.com/ilaw/>.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

(c) David Goldstein 2006

David Goldstein
 address: 4/3 Abbott Street
           COOGEE NSW 2034
           AUSTRALIA
 email: Goldstein_David &#167;yahoo.com.au
 phone: +61 418 228 605 (mobile); +61 2 9665 5773 (home)

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